Immigration Activists March Downtown, Seeking Permanent Fix For DACA

CHICAGO (CBS) — Scores of Dreamers and their supporters were marching in Chicago on Monday to send a message to Washington.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protects Dreamers from deportation was set to expire Monday, but activists said its temporary extension through the courts is not enough.

Immigration activists started with a vigil downtown at 10 a.m., before marching to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on Congress Parkway, where they planned to form a human chain around the building.

The protesters said there needs to be a permanent solution to DACA.

Last year, President Donald Trump announced he was ending the Obama-era program, and set a March 5 deadline to give Congress time to come up with a legislative fix, but federal courts have blocked him from scrapping DACA for now.

The courts have ordered the Trump administration to continue issuing renewals for DACA permits, and immigration activists said they will continue to push their message to protect Dreamers.

“We’re here together because we care for all people. In fact, faith unites us, and we really are united in our standing and calling for a resolution for DACA,” said Rabbi Megan GoldMarche.

DACA recipient Erendira Rendon said she has been enrolled in the program for five years.

“So five years I’ve had to be able to build a career, and not live in fear, and to be able to have a driver’s license and a work permit. So it’s scary to think that that would come to an end,” she said.